FDA OKs Mind-Controlled Robotic Arm

The Food and Drug Administration has approved marketing of the first powered prosthetic arm that can be controlled by the thoughts of its user, MedPage Today reports.

Made by New Hampshire-based DEKA Integrated Solutions, the device detects and translates “electromyographic activity” in nearby muscles — which the user can consciously control — into signals that direct specific movements and actions in the prosthetic arm.It’s the same size and weight as a normal adult arm and can move in 10 different ways, according to the FDA. Approval was based tests of the device involving 36 patients in the Veterans Affairs medical system.